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[be itching to]{v. phr.} To have a very strong desire to do something. •/Jack is itching to travel abroad./

[be it so] See: SO BE IT.

[belabor the point]{v. phr.} To overexplain something to the point of obviousness, resulting in ridicule. •/"Lest I belabor the point," the teacher said, "I must repeat the importance of teaching good grammar in class."/

[belfry] See: BATS IN ONE’S BELFRY or BATS IN THE BELFRY.

[believe] See: MAKE BELIEVE, SEEING IS BELIEVING.

[believe one’s ears]{v. phr.} 1. To believe what one hears; trust one’s hearing. — Used with a negative or limiter, or in an interrogative or conditional sentence. •/He thought he heard a horn blowing in the distance, but he could not believe his ears./ 2. To be made sure of (something). •/Is he really coming? I can hardly believe my ears./

[believe one’s eyes]{v. phr.} 1. To believe what one sees; trust one’s eyesight. — Used with a negative or limiter or in an interrogative or conditional sentence. •/Is that a plane? Can I believe my eyes?/ 2. To be made sure of seeing something. •/She saw him there but she could hardly believe her eyes./

[bell] See: RING A BELL, WITH BELLS ON.

[bellyache]{v.} To constantly complain. •/Jim is always bellyaching about the amount of work he is required to do./

[belly up]{adj.}, {informal} Dead, bankrupt, or financially ruined. •/Tom and Dick struggled on for months with their tiny computer shop, but last year they went belly up./

[belly up]{v.}, {informal} To go bankrupt, become afunctional; to die. •/Uncompetitive small businesses must eventually all belly up./

[below par]{adj.} or {adv.} Below standard. •/Bob was fired because his work has been below par for several months now./ Contrast: UP TO PAR or UP TO SNUFF.

[below the belt]{adv. phr.} 1. In the stomach; lower than is legal in boxing. •/He struck the other boy below the belt./ 2. {informal} In an unfair or cowardly way; against the rules of sportsmanship or justice; unsportingly; wrongly. •/It was hitting below the belt for Mr. Jones’s rival to tell people about a crime that Mr. Jones committed when he was a young boy./ •/Pete told the students to vote against Harry because Harry was in a wheelchair and couldn’t be a good class president, but the students thought Pete was hitting below the belt./

[belt] See: BELOW THE BELT, SEAT BELT, TIGHTEN ONE’S BELT, UNDER ONE’S BELT.

[belt out]{v.}, {slang} To sing with rough rhythm and strength; shout out. •/She belted out ballads and hillbilly songs one after another all evening./ •/Young people enjoy belting out songs./

[be my guest]{v. phr.} Feel free to use what I have; help yourself. •/When Suzie asked if she could borrow John’s bicycle, John said, "Be my guest."/

[beneath one]{adj. phr.} Below one’s ideals or dignity. •/Bob felt it would have been beneath him to work for such low wages./

[bench] See: ON THE BENCH, WARM THE BENCH.

[bench warmer] See: WARM THE BENCH.

[bend over backward] or [lean over backward] {v. phr.}, {informal} To try so hard to avoid a mistake that you make the opposite mistake instead; do the opposite of something that you know you should not do; do too much to avoid doing the wrong thing; also, make a great effort; try very hard. •/Instead of punishing the boys for breaking a new rule, the principal bent over backward to explain why the rule was important./ •/Mary was afraid the girls at her new school would be stuck up, but they leaned over backward to make her feel at home./ Compare: GO OUT OF ONE’S WAY.